Guwahati: Several civic groups and ethnic organisations in Upper Assam’s Jagun have firmly opposed the proposed resettlement of Laika residents in the Tirap Reserved Forest area, cautioning that stronger democratic protests will follow if the plan is implemented.
At a press conference held at Phaneng No. 1 in Jagun, representatives from several organisations, along with local residents from the Tirap-Jagun region, raised concerns over the government’s reported plan to resettle Laika residents within the forest area.
The meeting highlighted growing dissatisfaction in the region, with communities stating that they have already borne the impact of earlier rehabilitation initiatives involving displaced groups.
Speakers at the event claimed that the proposed move could result in the destruction of a century-old reserved forest and urged the government and authorities to drop any plans that threaten ecologically sensitive zones. They warned that any effort to rehabilitate people at the expense of protected forests would face strong opposition.
At the same time, the organisations made it clear that their opposition is not to the rehabilitation of Laika residents itself, but to the proposed location. They suggested that the government should instead make use of land already recovered from encroachers in various parts of Assam to resettle flood-affected and displaced families.
Questioning the current proposal, the groups noted that the state has recently regained extensive areas of illegally occupied government land. “When such land is available, why should reserved forests be sacrificed for rehabilitation?” several speakers asked.
The organisations cautioned that if their concerns are overlooked, they will initiate a large-scale protest against the government’s decision.